From working for television in Edmonton to filming a shoot in Banff and falling in love with the place, Jason Carter has become a well-known artist in the Canadian Rockies and beyond. His work connects people with incredible moments. Whether it’s a painting or a carving, this Cree artist distills the grandeur and beauty of the world around us through an Indigenous lens.

Carter originally came to the mountains with his partner, Bridget Ryan, who he met working in television in Edmonton. They worked together for about ten years, and during that time he discovered sculpting, painting and carving. “We were in Banff on a shoot and there was a news story about this little town called Canmore that was being torn apart by bunnies. They were everywhere in Canmore. We had just released our first book called Who is Boo? about a rabbit, so naturally, we had to go to Canmore and see all these rabbits. They were everywhere. You could pull over and count 15 of them.”

In that moment they discovered the beautiful mountain town of Canmore. “It felt like I was ready to make that next step, and I really wanted to focus on my own work. There was a ‘For Lease’ sign on a storefront on Main Street so we called, and it snowballed from there. A chance call led to opening our doors two months later.”

Carter says he and Ryan have always approached life and craft in such a way: “Throw everything into it and see what happens. Both with theatre and the arts and the gallery. We opened the gallery with one month’s rent in our pocket, and here we are 15 years later. We opened the Banff location about 10 years ago.”

Carter is known for both his paintings and his sculptures. His process involves taking his interpretation of the land around him and presenting it in a way that everyone can connect with. “I get to play with this rock, this stone that’s been the shape of a rock for the last million years, and I get the opportunity to give it new life and form it into something that will last just as long. For the remainder of my life, this rock is going to be a rabbit or a bear or a bird. That’s what carving is to me: transforming this stone – this piece of earth – and it will live the rest of its life as a rabbit.”

As for his paintings, Carter is inspired by what he sees around him. “For me as an Indigenous man, I’m able to share a visual of what my interpretation of the land is. I break it down to its simplest form so you can see the shapes and the lines in it. Once you’ve visited the mountains and you visualize them, you don’t think of the nitty gritty of the trees and the branches, you think of the broad strokes of the mountains and the clean lines that lead up to the peaks. That’s what I try to incorporate. Your brain can connect with it because you know what it is and you don’t need all the details.”

“It’s having that ability to remove the mundane from an experience with colour and line and form and the beautiful Indigenous landscapes and animals within it.”

As a visual artist, Carter is looking to affect change in someone in their day to day lives. “It’s creating that moment where they can be pulled outside of themselves, see something they’re drawn to, and appreciate that moment. It starts from the work at the international airport – that first moment of people getting off the plane and they see an Indigenous artist impression of the Canadian landscape. Then they go to the Calgary Stampede and see this beautiful buffalo sculpture saying, ‘Welcome to Stampede Park.’ They’re pulled out of the ordinary and they see it in the colour and the grandeur and the beauty of it. Then they come to Canmore and Banff and see the artwork in the lobbies and stairways and rooms of the Moose Hotel. That traveller gets to see three different versions of an Indigenous interpretation of the land and the animals that they’re seeing. It’s having that ability to remove the mundane from an experience with colour and line and form and the beautiful Indigenous landscapes and animals within it.”

During the holiday season, Carter’s work is featured in In Search of Christmas Spirit, an interactive experience where visitors explore a trail and walk through this wonderful world with larger-than-life sculptures and storyboards that tell the narrative along the way. “Bridget conceptualized this beautiful trail in conjunction with Banff & Lake Louise Tourism and Parks Canada. There’s also a beautiful soundscape. It’s almost a spiritual experience.” This year, you can experience the event from November 14 to December 31 in Banff.

You can see the work of Jason Carter at his galleries in Banff and Canmore. His artwork is also featured on the covers of our 2026 visitor maps throughout the Canadian Rockies.